Featured Herbs and Spices

Know Your Herbs and Spices Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

English: Scotch Bonnet peppers and thyme, a co...
English: Scotch Bonnet peppers and thyme, a combination typical of Jamaican cooking. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Sweet Jerk Heat

Jamaican Jerk Seasoning is described as “sweet heat”. Black and red peppers are combined with warm spices to draw out the best the Islands have to offer. In jerk cooking a dry rub is used on meat or the spices are made into a paste as a wet marinade. The term “jerk” refers to the process that makes meat into the popular jerky that was easy to transport and store. Chicken and pork are favorite choices for dishes but fish, seafood and vegetables are also used.  Allspice and peppers, especially Scotch Bonnet give it its kick.
Here’s a list of spices used in combination for jerk seasoning. Like any regional blend the spices will vary slightly. The most combo has allspice, thyme and Scotch Bonnet pepper as its base.
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
onion powder
dried thyme
dried parsley
sugar
salt
paprika
allspice
black pepper
crushed red pepper
nutmeg
cinnamon

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Cindy's Recipes and Writings

As a professional cook, I love creating exciting new recipes on the job as well as at home. Assisting in teaching low-income families how to buy, store and prepare healthy food through Penn State’s alliance with Pennsylvania’s Supercupboard Program was very rewarding. During my 11 years with the Master Gardener program, I taught horticultural therapy to assisted living patients using healthful, fr
esh grown food as a focal point. . My hands-on programs and instruction helped hundreds of children and adults learn about where their food comes from and how important fresh food is for your body.
Currently I’m a cook at a college in Pennsylvania. We prepare everything we can from scratch, including our potato chips that tout the seasoning of the day!
Of course I write about food; it's in my blood!

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